Each type of weather event holds its own challenges to photography. Some events combine these challenges. Here are some of the more common challenges faced in severe weather photography.
- Capturing Motion
Severe weather is generally a very animated event. Shingles being blown off of homes and rocking street signs do not show up very well on still film. This is one reason photo essays, or groups of images, often work well with severe weather photography. To capture motion effectively it is important to follow the principles of good action photography. - Lighting
Severe weather often means dim and dull light. Everything looks grey and lacks contrast. This means that your camera will be struggling for light. A flash will not save your images in a storm. The best route is to use the highest film speed possible without creating too much grain/noise and to use a fast lens (one with a large maximum aperture/small F-stop). If your camera allows you to set contrast/saturation levels, raise them to slightly higher than normal settings to gain definition in subjects under these lighting conditions. - Lightning
Lightning is a completely different situation than most storm lighting. Lighting is often best captured from a distance so that it is not obscured by rain. When photographing lighting you will use similar settings as fireworks photography. That is, you will use a long shutter speed, a slow film speed, and a tripod. For lighting, a 30 second exposure is often used. Unless you have near superhuman reflexes, there is just no reliable way to manually click the shutter in time when lightning appears. To keep the foreground from being overexposed you will use your aperture/F-Stop to adjust the exposure for the foreground. Like fireworks, the lightning is very bright and using a slow film speed will keep it from being overexposed in the brief moment it is recorded by the film. - Water
Water is almost a given with any severe weather event. Unfortunately, water is a camera’s enemy. Use a rain hood or underwater housing to protect your camera. To capture water in a severe weather event takes some planning. If you are dealing with a flood, you need to capture the turbulent waters around an object not normally surrounded by water to show the effect. If you are capturing rain then you need to use a slower shutter speed to allow for some motion trail of the drops to increase visibility. - After the Storm
With still photography, many of the most striking moments are after the storm. Powerful cloud formations, lightning, and devastating damage images can all be captured after the storm.
